CPP’s proposal for public officers to swear through deities senseless – Sociologist

A sociologist, Nana Obiri Yeboah, has described the proposal by the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for public office holders to swear through deities before assuming office as "senseless.”

The party believes a compulsory swearing-through of deities for all public office holders, especially political leaders, will deal with the ever-increasing corruption canker ravaging the fabric of the nation.

According to the party, the use of the Bible and Qu'ran has not deterred people from doing wrong in public office, hence the need to use the traditional method.

The call was made when the National Chairperson of the party led some members to pour libations at Independence Square to invoke the spirit of the founder and first President of the country, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to ignite a sense of patriotism in all Ghanaians to mark the 67th Independence anniversary of the country.

“Before the colonial invaders held off our land, we had African systems of upholding integrity, and they worked. Our leaders now use the Bible and the Quran to swear oaths when taking up public offices and only end up with corrupt practices, knowing there are no immediate consequences, leaving the citizens destitute. If you cannot swear by the African system, there is no place for you in a CPP government,” she said.

Commenting on the issue, Nana Obiri Yeboah insisted the proposal was senseless.

"How many of them are correct? There are lots of corrupt chiefs in Ghana who took that oath, invoking the spirits of deities. Are we saying they are saints, or do they have integrity? So if your public officers are to also do the same, are they going to be men of integrity and honesty? Some chiefs are involved in illegal land sales. This call doesn’t make sense at all,” he said.